If you had to free associate around food and the words ‘unusual’ or ‘challenging’, I wonder what images would come into your mind? For me there’s a flash of a table of four of us hoeing into our first black pasta.

Much of the filming for Italian Food Safari has been far from warm
kitchens and comfortable restaurants – we’ve ventured into the rugged
outdoors for many of the stories to reflect the traditions Italian
people brought with them.

The Italians have fabulous descriptions to describe every part of the cooking process of just about anything. When it comes to pasta, there are sayings like “la condiche la pasta” meaning "dress it but don’t have it swimming".

For so many years growing up on Sydney’s east coast and spending lots of time at the beach, I’d see rock fishermen picking their way around the rocks to the big rock platforms where the sea would surge in.

What an array of spectacular plants at Sicilano’s garden. I could not believe how much of this land had plantings on it. Fruit trees, olive trees, vegetable patches. There were zucchinis growing, beans and so much more.

About this Blog

Italian Food Safari
is the much-awaited next feast in the beautiful Food Safari series… a
celebration of the incredible breadth and hard work of the Italians who
came and settled in Australia over a generation ago and have kept their
food traditions intact.

Mave O'Meara and Guy Grossi spent time with Australia’s top Italian chefs and producers during the filming of Italian Food Safari. Maeve is an award-winning food and cooking author, journalist, broadcaster, television producer and presenter who has spent many years travelling the world discovering food. Guy Grossi is an acclaimed Melbourne chef, restaurateur and food personality who revels in his Italian heritage and its many glorious culinary delights.